In order to express your thoughts in English, it is not enough just to learn a list of words. These words must be placed correctly in a sentence. Knowing the structure of an English sentence is simply necessary, because each member of a sentence has a specific place, and this order cannot be violated. Therefore, let's look at how sentences are built in English language to avoid misunderstandings and errors in speech and writing.

To construct a sentence in English, you need to know its members. As in Russian, English members of a sentence are divided into main and secondary. Let's look at each type separately:

1. The main members of the sentence are the members of the sentence, thanks to which the grammatical center is formed. In simple words, without them the proposal will not make sense. The main members include the subject and the predicate.

• The subject is usually expressed by a noun or pronoun. The noun is used in the general case, that is, in its standard dictionary form in singular and plural:

Note that the article may change to a definite article or no article at all, depending on the thing/person being implied.

If we talk about pronouns, then personal pronouns in the nominative case are usually used here. Table of all pronouns in this group:

I	I
we	We
you	you you
he	He
she	she
it	this is it
they	They

And also some indefinite and negative pronouns, for example:

The subject usually comes at the beginning of the sentence before the predicate.

• The predicate is expressed by a verb. This part of speech is key when composing a sentence in English, because it shows at what time the action happened, is happening or will happen. There can be two verbs in a predicate:
• An auxiliary verb is a verb that is used to express time. It does not have such a meaning in itself and is not translated into Russian in any way. However, his presence is necessary if the temporary form requires it. For example:

• A main or semantic verb is a verb that expresses an action performed by the subject:

1. Secondary members of a sentence are members that explain the main or other minor members. Without them, the sentence will still make sense, since the minor members are not the grammatical center of the sentence. The secondary ones include:

• A definition that answers the question “which?” and “whose?” It can be expressed by almost any part of speech. Let's consider only the most popular cases:
• Adjective:

• Communion:

• Participial phrase:

• Numeral:

Other English topics: Conditional sentences in English: rules for forming constructions

• Personal pronouns in the objective case:

The definition expressed by the participial phrase usually comes after these parts of the sentence:

• Indirect - an addition that answers all other case questions:

• Circumstance denotes place, reason, time, manner of action, etc. The adverbial clause is related to the predicate, but it can be used either at the beginning or at the end of a sentence. The first option is perhaps less common. The circumstance most often expressed is:

adverb

or a noun with a preposition:

How sentences are built in English: English sentence structure

Having studied all the members of the sentence, you can move on to constructing the sentences themselves in English. Constructing a sentence in English is quite simple because, as mentioned earlier, it is done in a fixed order. What does this mean? For example, in Russian we can freely change the order of the parts of a sentence. The meaning will be preserved, because the sentence will not lose logic. The English language is stricter about order. So, if a sentence begins with a subject, it cannot be rearranged with a predicate. Example for clarity:

As you can see, the whole is 5 possible options expressions of the same thought in Russian are contrasted with only one phrase in English.

However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that there are 3 types of English sentences, namely affirmative, negative and interrogative. Each has its own version of constructing an English sentence.

How to construct affirmative sentences in English

Compiling an affirmative sentence requires direct word order. Direct order means that the subject comes first in the sentence, then the predicate, then the object and adverbial. Diagram for clarity:

Sometimes an adverbial clause can begin a sentence.

Examples:

• I forgot to do the English exercises. — I forgot to do my English exercises.
• Yesterday I bought a Lego construction set to my nephew. — Yesterday I bought my nephew a Lego set.
• We'll go home after training. — We'll go home after training.
• He is trying to find this spelling rule. — He's trying to find this spelling rule.
• I have no idea how to learn to play the guitar. — I have no idea how to learn to play the guitar.

How negative sentences are constructed in English

English sentences also have direct word order when negated. The only difference is that to write a negative sentence you must use the negative particle not. Such sentences always have an auxiliary verb, so the particle is placed after it.

Examples:

• I don't know how to draw up a contract. — I don’t know how to draw up an agreement.
• We don’t study at the university. — We don't study at the university.
• Jane will not be there. - Jane won't be there.
• He is not working at the moment. — It is not working at the moment.
• I haven’t done sport exercises today yet. — Today I haven’t done any sports exercises yet.
• I was not aware of the situation in Paris. “I didn’t know about the situation in Paris.

How to write a sentence containing a question

Unlike the other two types, for interrogative sentences in English you must use reverse order words In reverse order, the part of the predicate, namely the auxiliary verb, comes first, and after it comes the subject. The semantic verb and minor members of the sentence remain in their places. Accordingly, the use auxiliary verb in questions is also a necessity. Scheme:

Examples:

• Do you like this album? — Do you like this album?
• Did they go fishing the day before yesterday? — Did they go fishing the day before yesterday?
• Have you been to Moscow? - Have you been to Moscow?
• Are you listening to me? - You are listening to me?

If sentences contain a question word, it is used at the very beginning:

But to create a sentence with a dividing question, you will have to deviate from the standard scheme. Such a question is constructed using an affirmative or negative sentence in the first part and a short question in the second:

That's all. We hope you have learned how to write sentences in English. In essence, English sentences are like a constructor, you just have to choose the right parts. To consolidate the material, do exercises on the topic. And most importantly, communicate with native speakers, because no exercise will give you as much knowledge as people who speak this language.

Is it possible to build such an understandable system that would allow you to easily construct sentences in English and quickly understand all tense forms? Let's get a look.

Learn English with the stars. New every week useful videos on our Youtube channel - subscribe.

First you need to figure out what generally accepted standards exist, and how you can avoid getting lost in the apparent complexity while learning English.

If you look in more detail at the structure of sentences in English, it becomes obvious that in order to quickly learn to express yourself concisely and clearly, you just need to train yourself to recognize the subject (who does?) and the predicate (what does he do?) in an English sentence.

In most cases, the subject comes before the predicate in sentences. The only exceptions are interrogative sentences. But in any case, you need to start simple. This way, you can easily learn how to write sentences in English.

Simplicity is the key to success

Let's start with the simplest. This will be the base from which you will need to build in the future. Understanding it will greatly simplify the work of automating the construction of sentences in our heads on the fly.

It is worth knowing that English sentences, unlike Russian ones, are characterized by simplicity, conciseness and brevity. Perhaps this is due to the English mentality, but that’s not the point now.

Long and very complex sentences You can still find it in English. They appear in legal texts or in fiction, i.e. where appropriate. However, in live communication, long sentences are extremely rare. But to start, you need to start from the simple.

Let's find out what a simple sentence is in English. Any sentence is constructed in order to describe the real life situation as clearly as possible.

In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to use words to describe the current situation and connect them so that the meaning is conveyed as succinctly as possible. If you manage to convey the meaning correctly, then in the head of the person to whom the information is transmitted you will get an image of the same picture.

In Russian, words are connected using endings. However, in English the situation is completely different; there is no change in multiple endings.

On the one hand, this simplifies the process of memorizing and studying, and on the other, it requires maximum clarity in sentence construction and correct use prepositions.

Golden Rule

So, let's define the first and most important rule - direct word order! First it says who is doing it, then what it is doing. Any variations are available in Russian, for example:

• The boy catches fish.
• A boy catches fish.
• A boy catches a fish.
• A boy is fishing.

In English there is always only one word order - “A boy is catching some fish”.
Remember this is the golden rule that you should start with when learning English. Everything is tied to verbs (simple predicates). They will, of course, be in some form of one of the English tenses (from here you can immediately understand how to use the tenses), three moods and two voices. For beginners, the main thing is to understand the basics:

In English, sentence structure always follows a certain structure:

• Subject (who/what?),
• verb (what does it do?),
• object (who/what? addition),
• place (where?),
• time (when?).

For example: “I like to walk with my dog ​​in the park in the evening."

• like to walk;
• with my dog;
• in the park;
• in the evening.

Time

Many people who begin to learn a language are dizzy from infinite number temporary forms. If we take them all into account, we get 16. This is explained by the fact that the tense system is clearly different from the one used in the Russian language. Of course, there are general points, but the main trump card of the English times system is strict order, consistency, and obedience to the laws of grammar and logic.

But times are not as scary as they are made out to be. If you master at least the six most commonly used ones, you will be able to feel confident in almost any communication situation - these are Present Simple, Past Simple, Future Simple, Present Continuous, Past Continuous, and Present Perfect.
Example:

• I go to work every day. - Present Simple (what happens regularly).
• I went to work yesterday. — Past Simple (statement of a fact in the past).
• I will go to work tomorrow. - Future Simple (statement of a fact in the future).
• I am going to work now. - Present Continuous (what is happening now).
• I was going to work when you called me. - Past Continuous (what happened at a certain point in time in the past).
• I have already gone to work. - Present Perfect (it is not known when the action took place, but there is its result in the present).

What is most important is the need to remember that each group of tenses has similar characteristics and norms of formation of the semantic verb, as well as principles of use, and this is the key to quickly mastering all tenses.

Once you can draw parallels and feel the differences, you can use all tenses without much difficulty. Therefore, to begin with, just try to remember how English sentences of the Simple group are constructed, starting with Present. It is extremely convenient to learn and remember grammatical tenses by placing them in a table.

Easy-to-read tense tables are included in all textbooks used at EnglishDom.

So, don't be afraid of any difficulties. Everything starts simple, and everything ingenious is simple too. Having understood the basic principles of sentence construction, you can further adapt and train all tenses, moods and voices.

The main thing is that you can’t grab onto everything at once. Only after you have fully grasped one rule, move on to another. Repeat what you've learned sometimes so you don't forget. But what should never be forgotten is the basic principles of constructing an English sentence. So, it’s always easy to start - train your skills on simple sentences, then, as you understand, make them more complex.

Big and Friendly family EnglishDom

For success in mastering the English language, it is extremely important to understand its peculiarities of the arrangement of words and their order in sentences. It probably seems to you that this is not very simple and that to master their structure you need to memorize large number poorly understood rules. Some theoretical knowledge is, of course, necessary, but everything can be explained in an accessible and easily understandable form. We decided to present the topic of constructing English sentences in the most accessible way possible and tried to make familiarization with this material interesting. Let's get started.

Classification of sentence members.

First of all, it is necessary to understand what components a correctly constructed sentence consists of, that is, to clarify the question of which parts of the sentence are necessary for writing or pronouncing it. As you probably guess, any sentence written or spoken must carry semantic load, and in order to convey it with maximum accuracy, the presence of main and, providing additional information, non-main members is considered a necessary condition. At a minimum, a sentence written in English must involve two main ones, represented by the subject and the predicate. It is impossible to do without these fundamental components, so we need to look at them more closely.

Members of the sentence

Subject

The subject is one of the most important components of a sentence, which, answering questions such as “who?” and “what?”, draws the main participant. This mission can be performed by pronouns or nouns, as well as proper names. One of the most important features In English, it is believed that the location of a word within a sentence determines its functional features. According to the rule, the subject is located before the other main participant in the process, called the predicate.

Predicate

The predicate is another basic or main member that forms the foundation and is responsible for information about the action taking place. The questions that are answered are formulated as “what does it do?” or “what are they doing?” This responsibility is entrusted to verbs. Various constructions used to show grammatical tenses may require the addition of an auxiliary verb. A simple sentence can consist of a subject and a predicate, with the latter necessarily located later than the first. To decorate the base with details, the participation of other members will be needed.

Addition

An addition is a non-main member of a sentence that answers questions in all cases except the nominative. In sentences they are located after the predicates. There is an additional division: additions that answer the questions “what?” and “who?”, which corresponds to the accusative case, are classified as direct, and all the rest are classified as indirect.

Definition

Definitions are words that appear immediately before subjects or objects and provide answers to types of questions such as “which?” or “whose?”, reveal their qualities.

Circumstance

Circumstances can find a place at the beginning and end of sentences. Sometimes they can squeeze between the main members. They tell how, why, where or when the described action happened or is happening.

For greater clarity, we will illustrate everything using examples.

Examples of subjects expressed by nouns:

A snake – snakes;

A musician – musicians;

A building – buildings.

The nouns on the left are singular, and the nouns on the right are plural.

It should be remembered that the presence of articles introduces some additional difficulties and the indefinite article before nouns in plural it can not be.

We have already mentioned that it is expressed by a verb and can be of two types:

• Auxiliary. This part of speechused to express time.And this is very important point if necessarydraw upsentences in English. Auxiliary verb toBut it does not have such a meaning in itself and is not translated into Russian in any way. However, his presence is necessary if the temporary form requires it.

Example:

ForPresent Simple– do / does;

ForPast Perfect – had;

ForFuture Continuous – will be.

• Main or semantic verb. It is used to indicate the actions of the subject.

Example:

Sheruns. ​

Wewent. ​

Definition

Can be represented by a variety of parts of speech. Let's look at the most popular options:

Adjective

Nice- Cute;

Brave- brave.

Participle

Sold– sold;

Crying- crying.

Participial

madeofplastic – mademade of plastic;

laughingout loud –loudlaughing.

Numerals

First- first;

Thirty- thirty.

Nouns in the possessive case, etc.

Nick's- Nika;

Diana's- Diana.

You're probably interestedhow to build sentences in Englishwith the definition, and what place it occupies in it. This part of speech can come before the subject or before the object. Let's look at examples to make the scheme of this sentence clear.

1. Herwavyhairissobeautiful. – Her wavy hair is so beautiful.

2. Ireadagreatbook. – I read a wonderful book.

It should be noted thathow to construct a sentence in English, if the definition is expressed by a participial phrase. In this case, it always comes after the subject or object.

For example:

The girl speaking on stage is my sister.​

The girl performing on stage is my sister.

Addition

Always comes after the predicate. There are two types of add-ons:

1. Direct(answering questions in the accusative case):

Isawher. ​

I saw her.

2. Indirect(other):

We are proud of you.​

We are proud of you.

If both additions occur in a sentence at once, then the direct one always comes first, and only after it comes the indirect one.

Circumstance

It denotes place, time, cause, etc.

The circumstance is expressed:

Adverb (today, slowly);

Noun with preposition (inParis, behindthescenes).

It is directly related to the predicate, but can appear at the beginning of a sentence or at its end.

So, we have looked at the components of English sentences.HenceIt's time to move on to the next section. It is here that we will answer the question: “How to make English sentences correctly?" Well, let's get started.

How sentences are built in English: English sentence structure

It is difficult to imagine a student who has never thought abouthow to make sentences in English. And most often this thought caused stupor. We decided to tell you a simple way to understandhow to write sentences in English. This means that after a while you will be able to compose the text yourself. Separately, it should be noted that at the end of the article we have prepared exercises for you to test your knowledge. After going through them, you will be able to find out for yourself whether you have mastered the material and whether you can tellHow is an English sentence constructed?And we move on to the basic rules.

How to write sentences in English?For that, to answer this question You should become familiar with the structure of English sentences. Namely, with the order of words in them. For example, in Russian we can say the following options: I love you very much, I love you very much, I love you very much. AHow to writeBy-Englishofferwith these words?Iloveyouverymuch. This way and only this way. In English, words do not change places, but always remain in a certain order. In this regard, this language is much simpler than ours. Meanwhile, we found the first answer to the questionhow to build sentences in English. And it consists in the fact that they are built according to a scheme specified by the rules. This means it’s time to study and remember these schemes. Go.

How to write a sentence in Englishin the affirmative

We have already said that all expressions and sentences are constructed according to a certain scheme. Below we will give an exampleEnglishhow to make a proposalsimple plan and affirmative form.

The standard diagram looks like this:

Subject + predicate + addition + circumstance

My little sister will visit me in three days.

However, sometimes the adverbial is at the beginning of the word and then the diagram looks like this:

Circumstance+ subject +predicate+ addition.

YesterdayIlearnedEnglishwords.

Below we provide examples of howhow to write a sentence in English correctlyin an affirmative form.

1. Yesterday I bought a Lego construction set to my nephew.

2. We'll go home after training.

3. He is trying to find this spelling rule.

4. I have no idea how to learn to play the guitar.

How to write a sentence in Englishin a negative form

In order to turn a statement into a negation, you should use a particlenotto the auxiliary verb. By the way, it is the auxiliary verb that is prerequisite this category of offers. In all other respects, the scheme is identical to the first option:

Subject + auxiliary verb withnot+ main verb + object + adverbial.

My little sister willnotvisit me in three days.

Or

Circumstance+ subject + auxiliary verb + main verb + object. in interrogative form

The word order in a simple question remains the same, only the auxiliary verb comes first. Accordingly, the scheme of such a proposal:

Auxiliary verb + subject + semantic verb + object + adverbial.

Did they go fishing the day before yesterday? -Theywentonfishingday before yesterday?

Many people are probably interested inhow to make a sentence in English from wordswhen, whatetc. You probably know that these words appear in a number of interrogative sentences. So, they are put in first place, leaving the rest unchanged. As a result, we get the following questions:

Whatdoyouthinkaboutourpresident?

When did she move to her parents?

If we are dealing with dividing questions, then the sentence looks like this:

They will not agree with their terms, will they?

As you can see, in this version it is worth moving away from the usual pattern of negative sentences. Dividing questions consist of an affirmation or denial in the first part and a short answer in the second.

We have looked at the options for forming sentences in English and we hope we have answered all your questions. As you can see, this topic turned out to be easier than you thought. All we can do is wish you good luck in mastering the English language and remind you that below we have prepared exercises for you to do on your own.

Exercises for consolidation

1. Make up three affirmative sentences in which the circumstance comes first.

_______

_____________________________________________________________________

2. Make up sentences using the combinations of words below:

onSaturday night, didn't see, at the party, you, I

____________________________________________________

aletter to her parents, Ann, writes, every week

____________________________________________________

hisname, after a few minutes, I, remembered

____________________________________________________

3. Put the sentences in interrogative and negative forms:

You have brought something for us.

____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

There are some tall trees in front of their house.

_____________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________

There are some good book shops in our district.

______________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

How often in exams, in various tests, we are faced with the need to correctly compose a phrase from a set of words. If in Russian it makes almost no difference whether you start a sentence with a subject or a predicate, then in English there are certain principles that must be followed. A correctly organized structure of an utterance is the key to competent speech.

From the first days of learning English, you need to remember the strict sentence structure and word order. A clear sequence makes it easier to understand and hear speech. IN writing language is presented not as a set of words, but as a structured utterance.

Word order in an English sentence

Believe me, having mastered the basics of interaction between the members of a sentence, you can confidently say that soon you will be able to speak. Yes, first in simple phrases of two or three words, but gradually expand your vocabulary and diversify your speech. So, the rules of construction:

Subject + predicate + object + adverbial

Subject + predicate + object + adverbal modifier

The boy showed the mark-book yesterday. (The boy showed the diary yesterday)

subject tale additional circumstances

Well, that's not all. One phrase may contain several circumstances or additions. How to put everything in its place not only from the lexical side, but also from the grammatical side? Let's look at an example:

• The construction of sentences in English is based on the fact that if there are several additions, then they alternate as follows:

indirect add. (to whom?) + direct (what) + with preposition (to whom?)

She wrote her friend a letter. But: She wrote a letter to her friend. — She wrote a letter to her friend. = She wrote a letter to her friend. (there is no grammatical difference in Russian)

As can be seen from the example, if an indirect object is without a preposition, then it precedes the direct one, and if a preposition is used, it comes after it.

• According to the word order in an English sentence, circumstances are arranged like this:

mode of action (goal, reason) (how?) + place (where? where?) + time (when?)

He was running quickly to his house at 6 o’clock yesterday. — He ran home quickly at 6 o'clock yesterday.

If there is a need to logically highlight a circumstance of place or time, then it can be brought to the fore.

In Moscow he visited many museums last year. — In Moscow he visited many museums last year.
Last year he visited many museums in Moscow. — Last year he visited many museums in Moscow.

• There is also such a member of the sentence as definition. This free bird always stands in front of the word to which it refers. Sometimes one definition is not enough to fully characterize a subject, so it is necessary to use several. How, what and where to put?

1. Article or possessive pronoun (or noun in Possessive Case), numerals + adjectives: my beautiful yellow hat , Tom's ugly big old Italian hunting boots, the first difficult examination question.
2. Adjectives in the following order: Emotional attitude→fact: a nice sunny day - a beautiful sunny day.
3. Facts, if there are several of them, are arranged in the following sequence: size → age → color → where from → from what. You won’t necessarily find all the characteristics in a sentence, these can be two or three adjectives (adjectives are most often used as definitions), which means that by skipping one of the elements of the diagram, you put everything in the right order. Let's look at examples: a nice small black plastic bag, a new black plastic bag.

A famous Scottish poet was born in 1750. - characterizes the subject - emotion. coloring + where from (Famous poet born in 1750)

So, when faced with the question, how to make sentences in English, look at every word. First of all, it is necessary to find the main members (who performs the action, what, or on what, then what happens, the action itself) and put them in first place. Then, the minor members are in accordance with the scheme.

But I would also really like to note questions that are not exactly a violation, but a slight change in order. Thus, the subject and predicate firmly hold their places and do not give them up to anyone, just like the adverbial and complement. But, an interrogative sentence can begin with an auxiliary verb, modal or with a special word.

Did he lives in Minsk? — Did he live in Minsk?

Do do you have a computer? - You have a computer?

Can will you take me to the museum? -Can you take me to the museum?

What kind of book are you reading now? - What book are you reading now?

Cases of violation of direct word order in an English sentence

Of course, not without difficulties! The above scheme most likely works for 80% of affirmative statements. But there are some features that are worth remembering.

A grammatical phenomenon such as inversion , turns everything upside down. What it is? In cases where the structure of a sentence in English is broken, the reverse order of the subject and predicate is noted. But there is a certain, limited set of such situations.

1. In units of speech with turnover there is / there are The subject comes after the predicate.

There is a round table in the middle of the room. — There is a round table in the middle of the room.

2. If the phrase begins from direct speech (with “”), and indirect follows it, the subject also changes places with the verb.

“I haven’t painted for ages”, said my friend. “I haven’t painted for ages,” said my friend.

3. In statements starting with "here", but only on condition that the subject is expressed by a noun. But, if in its place after here a pronoun is used, then the direct order is preserved.

Here are the gloves you are looking for. - These are the gloves you are looking for.

Here comes our teacher. - Here comes our teacher.

BUT: Here it is. - Here it is. Here he comes. - Here he comes.

4. If a sentence begins with adverbs or conjunctions such as never (never), rarely (rarely), little (little), in vain (in vain), scarcely (barely), not only (not only), hardly (barely), then there is an inversion. Most often, disruption of order is used to add emotional coloring to a statement, and these words, which are brought to the fore, strengthen and emphasize the meaning.

In vain doesshedye her hair — She dyes her hair in vain.

Never in his life has hegone abroad. — He had never traveled abroad in his life.

Seldom can he come to see us. “He can rarely visit us.”

5. In short remarks, for example, such as So did I, Neither do I (And I too).

Every morning I take a shower. - So do I. - I take a shower every morning. And me too.

She didn't read this book. — Neither did I. — She didn’t read this book. And me too.

Basically, in syntactic constructions everything is very specific. Having many rules and just as many exceptions, constructing statements is not difficult if you strictly follow the instructions. So, remember that composing sentences in English strictly follows a pattern. Follow it, and then you will succeed!

Mastering any language, including English, begins with learning individual sounds, letters and words. But literally after a few lessons, the next question arises - how to write a sentence in English. For many, this is a whole problem, since a clearly structured English sentence is noticeably different from a free Russian one.

Let's not waste time and start the lesson right away.

As we know from the Russian language course primary school, the main members of the sentence are the subject (noun - object, person) and the predicate (verb - action). For example, “I am writing.” Further, for specifics and just decoration, various kinds of words are added - definitions, additions, circumstances, and so on: “I write beautifully,” “I write with a pen,” “I write a dictation,” and so on.

Let's try to construct the first sentence in English. For example, we want to say “I am watching TV.”

As you can see, everything is simple - English words They stand in exactly the same places as the Russians. This suggests that composing sentences in English is very easy and simple. I agree with you, but only partly. This was too simple an example, and in English there are some nuances that you need to know. Let's figure it out.

The place of each member in an English sentence is clearly indicated. Remember that in an affirmative sentence (which ends with a period), the predicate always comes immediately after the subject.

If in Russian we can say both “I’m watching TV” and “I’m watching TV,” then in English there is only one option for wording - “I watch TV.” Any other word order in this sentence will be incorrect.

In most sentences in English (with rare exceptions), the verb (action) follows the noun or personal pronoun.